While I was visiting family over Christmas, I had a conversation with my Grandmother about the changing attitudes concerning maternity apparel. The first day I was visiting her I wore a form fitting wool sweater that I would say “cutely” showed off my little baby bump. The second day I wore a loose fitting t-shirt. Tactfully my grandmother told me the second day that she thought the shirt looked very nice on me and that she much preferred it to the sweater of the day before. We then continued into the above mentioned conversation. I expressed that I felt the latest move to more form fitting maternity apparel was a step forward, a way for women to state that they could be both pregnant and beautiful. That by making their maternal state obvious, they were also expressing pride in their choice of motherhood. My grandmother disagreed. She voiced her opinion that pregnancy was not a beautiful thing, at least not the physical symptoms. She felt that the ugly enlarged stomach should be disguised at all costs. I appreciate her view, but still fully support the move towards glorifying the physical changes of pregnancy. Pregnancy women already feel less attractive, the last thing they need to do is cover themselves in tents and “hide” from the world for nine months.

Then

Now